


The line

by Milkteach



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 07:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11985417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milkteach/pseuds/Milkteach
Summary: All fathers are invisible in daytime; daytime is ruled by mothers and fathers come out at night. Darkness brings home fathers, with their real, unspeakable power.-Margaret  Atwood-





	The line

**Author's Note:**

> All fathers are invisible in daytime; daytime is ruled by mothers and fathers come out at night. Darkness brings home fathers, with their real, unspeakable power.  
> -Margaret Atwood-

Her papa was many things to many people. Traitor.Hero.Legend. Konoha's prodigal son. But none of those names hold any weight for her now, as she clings to him seemingly for dear life . For Sarada, he was simply "papa". This man with his ancient eyes and his many secrets. This man, quiet in his affections, one who she happens to love very much

"There's no time for tears right now Sarada. I need you to stay inside and arm yourself", he said. Calmly. As if there were no men outside their house ready to take his life. Bad men, thirty of them to be exact, with every intent to kill. War-bred shinobis from Oto, sent to take her clan's eyes and her father's blood. Between sobs she reasons that mama wouldn't want him to fight on his own. But he keeps silent. Decided, despite her pleas

She is wailing uncontrollably now, accusing him of not caring about her mother. Uncharacteristic for once, for she was a reasonable child and frighteningly logical, as her mama always said . Her mama, whose static filled voice was the last comforting sound she heard since the war started. Thoughts about her mother brought another round of hysterics yet she found no reason to stop. Because for the first time in her young life, Sarada felt fear, not the kind that lingers only at night, nor the kind that fades with age. This kind settles in her bones and bends her spine. It drives her mind towards every dark recesses not even the scary "Aka Manto" can dwell on.

" Papa will end this" he assures her. He holds her firmly to him for what she fears like the last, before going outside to face the intruders. Not for the first time, Sarada wishes her mama was with her to tell her how many ways a situation can go right. But she's all alone without her mother's warmth, wrapped instead in Susanoo's purple hand.

She heard them then, calling her father's name , ordering him to surrender his child. Ordering him to surrender her. They were taunting him with words that despite her fear, sent her blood boiling. Still she listened. Her papa kept his silence and instead moved to draw a line across the dirt with his chokuto, separating their house a good 5 meters from where the bad men stood. An all too familiar act she has seen two summers ago and every free time since then. A game in which she and mama almost always lost and suffered the consequences of playfully poked foreheads and ruffled hair . The game was simple, keep her father from crossing the line at all cost. She felt guilty all of a sudden knowing her earlier accusations about him are mostly undeserved . She understood right then he's thinking about her mama too. She's in her thoughts just as she is in his acts.

"None of you will cross this line" she heard him say as if merely stating a known fact. Armed with nothing but his chokuto and his mismatched eyes , he moved.

Her mother always told her stories. About how strong he is. How inhuman he is with his arsenal of jutsus too complex to be even taught in the Academy. She heard villagers speak of his terrible power . But none of those stories prepared her for this. He is lightning, swift and silent. Bodies fell wherever he went. Look closely and one will see men with holes in their chest, stabbed with that terrible blue fire that cackles like a thousand chirping birds.

It was over before she knew it. An entire unit of shinobis severely decimated, not even the messenger pigeons were spared. A yard, once filled with flowers and vegetable patches are now littered with dead bodies. Death delivered so quick those men weren't even given the dignity of closing their eyes. The stories were true then. This man is no longer a myth.  
.

He is in front of her in the blink of an eye, holding her tightly all the while apologizing. "I'm sorry you had to see all of that Sarada. I'm sorry". For a while, she was stunned speechless. It was difficult to reconcile this repentant man who has her sheltered in the circle of his arms to the man she saw outside who moved with death in his hands. Sarada does not know everything about him, but his eyes spoke what need to be said. This man is her father. No power on earth can make her see him as otherwise. Feeling like her old self again, she spoke, "They surely picked the wrong house to visit, ne Papa?" Smirking slightly, he leans his forehead against hers," Yes they did, now let's go find your mama", he replied.

He carried her on his back as they race outside the house towards the clearing. She saw the line her father drew earlier, a reminder of his protection and his love. 

 

The forest is quiet, the house is still, The line is untouched.


End file.
